UB Alumni Association

Alumni-Supported Awards and Fellowships

The following fellowships for undergraduate and graduate Chemistry students are supported through the generosity of our alumni, for which we are grateful.

Chemistry Alumni Award The Chemistry Alumni Award honors the top Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry Majors of senior status for academic excellence, based on cumulative rank, and is presented by the Department of Chemistry faculty at the annual Undergraduate Awards Ceremony. This award, consisting of a monetary gift and certificate, has been presented to one or more students each year since 2000.

Kapoor Fellowship The Kapoor Fellowship is given to advanced Medicinal Chemistry PhD students of outstanding scholarship and character. Dr. John Kapoor has established this generous fellowship to foster medicinal chemistry research.

Past Kapoor Recipients

2013: Svetlana Kholodar

2012: Jonathan French

2011: Reyna Lim

2010: Brandon Calitree

Edward J. Kikta Jr. Fellowship The Edward J. Kikta Jr. Fellowship is for one year and will provide one or more incoming graduate students in Chemistry add-on support to their assistantship. The recipients are selected by the members of the Graduate Admissions Committee.

Past Kikta Recipients

2016: Zackary Gregg, Vincent Pastore, Elizabeth Shaw

2015: Matthew Crawley

2014: Crystal Collado, Nita Chavez

2013: Christopher Bond

2012: Theodore Alivio, Jordan Cox, Liuyin Jiang, Samuel Ziebel

2011: Jossana Damasco, Chi Man Ng

2010: Matthew Bedics, Ryan Fenyves

2009: Chelsie Bartoszek

2008: Mark Kline, Meghan Kern, Michael Bovino

2007: Chad Rezsnyak

2005: Glen Labenski

Peter T. Lansbury Chemistry Award Joseph P. Vacca, PhD 1983, received the Merck Director’s Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the discovery of Crixivan, an HIV protease inhibitor. Dr. Vacca selected the University at Buffalo as recipient of the Merck prize because of the important role UB played in his career. To honor his former PhD mentor, Dr. Peter T. Lansbury, Professor Emeritus, Dr. Vacca created the Peter T. Lansbury Chemistry Award in 1999. This award is given periodically to a deserving undergraduate chemistry major, preferably in his/her junior year. The funds may be used to carry out summer research with a UB faculty member.

Past Lansbury Recipients

2018: Philip Lindhorst

2017: Bao Sciscent

2016: Gregory Sokolow

2015: Sitora Khodjaniyazova

2014: Christopher Reinhardt

2012: Christopher Kabb

2009: Elizabeth Cappadonia, Daniel Saada

2006: Justin Howard

2003: Caitlin Hubbard

2002: Amy Wojciechowski

2001: Jordan Markham

2000: David Hilmey

1999: Anand Vaidya

Sol J. Lederman Undergraduate Research Fellowship Sol J. Lederman Research Fellows will be selected by the Department of Chemistry’s Undergraduate Committee based on applications submitted by interested students. The committee will award the fellowship(s) to students who: (1) show special promise as a researcher, (2) have a commitment from a mentor to provide matching funds in support of a stipend, supplies, etc, and (3) have high promise of generating publishable results. At the end of the fellowship period, Sol J. Lederman Research Fellows must submit a short report (3-5 page) summarizing their research activity and results.

Past Lederman Recipients

2018: Javier Trifundio

2017: Ariel Burgio

2016: Bradey Schurr

2015: Shawn Dormann

2014: Shaunna M. McLeod

2012: Victor A. Beaumont

2010: Jacob J. Steffen

2009: Matthew G. Frith

2008: Crystal M. Lewandowski

Silbert Fellowship Established by Doris and Joseph Silbert in memorial to their brother Samuel Silbert to provide a fellowship award to a University at Buffalo graduate student with preference given to students from Western New York meeting the qualifications of outstanding scholarship and character and having financial need.

Past Silbert Recipients

2016: Saurabh Chauhan, Jordan Cox

2015: Joel Destino, Joshua Wallace

2014: Lijuan Su

2013: Timothy Liwosz

2012: Joe Clark

2011: Merced Malabana (Spring 2012), Kacie Mulhern

2010: Jared Baker

2009: Imee Del Mundo

2008: Peter Fuller

2007: Dominic Ventura

2006: Brandon Galan

2005: Amol Kulkarni

2003: Derrik Helfer, Chase Munson

2000: Olga Iranzo

1999: Jeff Winiarz

1998: Gary Baker

1996L Daniel Epstein, Christine Ingersoll, Maria Toteva

1995: Robert Bolotovsky, Yong Guo

1994: Upvan Narang, Witold Paw, David Voss

1993: Run Wang

1992: James LaClair, Lisa Szczepura

1991: Stephen Kubow

1990: Kevin Litwiler

1989: Yueqian Zhen

1988: William Feighery, Mintang Zhao

1987: Kevin Litwiler, Sally Ann Smesko

1986: Yan Gao

1985: Brian Rappali

1984: J.G. Pazik

1983 W. Go

1982: Wayne Rees

1981: Michael J. Page

1980: Donald White

1979: Randall Simmons

1978: David Pautler

1977: Todd Broockhart

1976: Claire Tessier

1975: Robert Kobos

1974: Mark Philip Mack

1973: Thomas Riedhammer

1972: Andrew Komornicki

1971: Graham Smith

1970: Steven Cadle

1969: Kee-chuan Pan

1968: Franklin Hilfiker

Jere Solo Interdisciplinary Award in Chemistry The Solo Fellowship was established in 2001 by Dr. and Mrs. John N. Kapoor in honor of Dr. Kapoor’s PhD Mentor, Professor Jere Solo. The award consists of a generous fellowship for graduate students studying medicinal chemistry.

Past Solo Recipients

Speyer Fellowship The Speyer Fellowship was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Thomas and Judith Mich and is intended for exceptional doctoral students who have successfully passed both their research synopsis and research proposal requirements in the Department of Chemistry, who show developing independence and have met the qualifications of outstanding scholar and character. The Speyer Fellowship gives a generous stipend along with travel reimbursement to present the students research work at a conference of their choosing.

Past Speyer Fellowship Recipients

2016: Patrick Burns, Michelle Linder

2015: Archie Reyes

2014: Mrak Kryman

2013: Justin Griffiths

Past Speyer Award Recipients

Fall 2013: Joe Clar, Edgars Jecs, J. Cody Vinci

Spring 2012: David Lonie, Brian Schultz

Fall 2010: Melissa Lee, Monissa Paderes, Mark Rudolph

Ralph F. Theuer Scholarship Award The family of Ralph F. Theuer, University at Buffalo alumnus, BA Chemistry 1946 and EdM. Science Education 1950, in order to further science education, established the Ralph F. Theuer Endowment Fund in 1994. This award is presented annually to one or more outstanding students pursuing a degree in Chemistry or a graduate degree in Science Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Awardees are selected by the Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Affairs Committee, and students selected are presented their scholarship and certificate at the Department of Chemistry annual awards ceremony.

William E. Townsend Scholarship Award Mr. William E. Townsend, UB Class of 1950 with a BA degree in Chemistry, in order to recognize worthy students at his alma mater, established the William E. Townsend Scholarship Fund in 1992. This award is presented annually to one or more freshman chemistry majors, preferably from the Western New York area, with demonstrated financial need and possession of good personal characteristics in terms of attitude, personality, citizenship and leadership. Recipients are selected by the Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Affairs Committee. The award may be presented to each awardee for up to four consecutive years, provided they remain a chemistry major in good standing with the University.